A novel experimental and theoretical approach is proposed to determine the functional interdependencies between the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of the corneal transparency and cell adhesion forces. The fact that stromal deturgescence depends on the functionality of fluid pump(s) located largely in the endothelium as well as the integrity of cell-to-cell adhesion is supported by experimental evidence. Since both of these aspects are dependent on the ionic milieu, it is of paramount importance to elucidate the relationship between fluid pump activity and cell-to-cell interaction in effecting stromal deturgescence. Toward this end, the following measurements will be performed: 1) intra- and intercellular electrical resistivity, 2) the critical pressure at which the rate of backward fluid leak deviates from the linearity, and 3) dielectric permeability. In addition, the experimentally obtained data for cell adhesion will be interpreted in terms of the electro-dynamic theory. As for the theoretical aspect, the types of data envisioned to be obtained will be made more amenable to interpretation, because the corneal endothelium consists of a single cell layer opposed to other multilayers of epithelia. The projects proposed in 1), 2) and 3) will be done under the various experimental conditions, i.e., physiological and pathophysiological concentrations of Ca ions, Mg ions, H ion, Na ion, K ion, NH4-minus, OH minus, HCO3-minus, in the incubation solution. The role of Ca ions and Mg ions, cations vital to cell adhesion, will be emphasized as well as ionic concentrations in the aqueous that have been reported to exist following alkali burns of the cornea. The intercellular electrical resistivity and the critical pressure measurements should reveal the aspects associated with the cell adhesion and the intra-cellular electrical measurements should yield the localization of the transport mechanisms located along the apical and/or the intercellular cell borders.